Display-stand.



G. M. JOHNSON.-

DlSPLAY STAND.

- APPLICATION FILED 1l1LYl2,l916. 1,292,329. Patented Jan. 21,1919. 2 SHEETS---SHEET l.

WITNESSES INVENTOR Qm Q9 Q} w w G. M. JOHNSON.

DISPLAY STAND.

APPLICATION FILED JULY \2, I916.

Patented J an. 21, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

iNVENTOR WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT oriuon.

GEORGE M. JOHNSON, OF MoDONALD, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO A. WILLIAM BEHLING, OF MCDONALD, PENNSYLVANIA.

DISPLAY-STAND.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J an. 21, 1919.

Application filed July 12, 1916. Serial No. 108,816.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Belit known that I, Gnonen M. J OHNSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of McDonald, in thecounty of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Display-Stands; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention pertains to. display stands, and particularly relates to stands for supporting and displaying such goods as small cakes, cookies and the like, which are usually dispensed from cake boxes.

It'is an object of my invention to provide a device of simple andcheap construction, of ornamental appearance, for supporting a plurality of articles, such as cake boxes and the like.

It is another object of my invention to provide a supporting device of the above character, which will permit the boxes to be readily moved into a position wherein they are accessible for the purpose of removing the contents therefrom.

It is still another object of my invention to provide a supporting and display device of the character referred to, in which means are supplied for automatically opening the lids oft he cake boxes or the like, when the latter are moved forward for the purpose of extracting articles therefrom.

And other and further objects of the in- Vention will appear from the following specification, taken in connection with the appended claims.

By way of example, I have shown in the accompanying drawings, and described in the following specification, one form of display stand constructed in accordance with my invention. It is to be understood. however, that the invention may be embodied in other forms, and that changes may be made in the construction which is described and.

supporting frame being removed therefrom;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, showing the upper shelf moved forward for the purpose of obtaining access to the boxes carried thereby.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the following specification and the several figures of the accompanying drawing.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the device comprises a pair of base members having their ends down-turned and provided with universal casters 11. Extending upwardly from each of the base members is a U-shaped frame formed of metallic tubing, and includin a front upright 12, a rear upright 13 an a top crosspiece 14;. These frames are connected, at their upper and lower parts, by cross-supports 15. Two tiers of boxes are mounted in the device; and, as the construction is the same for each tier, a description of the lower tier will suflice. Connected between the uprights 12 and 13, at both sides of the stand, are supporting rails 15, upon which are adapted to run rollers 16 which are provided at the rear of the box-supporting slide. This slide includes end members 17, and front members 18, upon which the boxes are adapted to rest. The fronts of the boxes engage against front supports 19. The end members 17 rest, at their front ends, upon rollers 20, which are attached to the inner sides of the uprights 12. Thus, in moving the box-supporting frames forward. the rollers 16, at their rear ends, travel upon the supports 15, while their front ends travel upon the rollers 20. In order that the box-supporting frames, and the boxes 21 carried thereby, may not fall out of the frame, but may be supported in a tilted position. when the supporting frames are pulled forward, the members 15 are provided with hooks 22, the lower faces 23 of which are upwardly engaged by the rollers 16 when the supporting frames are pulled forward. When the supporting-frames are pulled out. to permit access to the cakes contained in the boxes 21, the rollers 16,

engaging the hook surfaces 23, cause the frames and boxes to assume the upright position shown at the upper part of Fig. 2, in which the contents of the boxes are very easily accessible.

Rockably mounted between the members 15, at the upper and lower part of the stand, are a pair of cross-shafts 24:. Each of these cross-shafts carries a bell-crank lever having a slotted portion 25 and a handled portion 26. In the slot 27 of the slotted portion 25, engages a roller 28 carried by an upright 29, which extends upwardly from the end member 17 of the box-supporting frame. WVhen the handle 30 of the bellcrank lever is swung forward, it will, owing to the engagement of the roller 28 in the slot 27, cause the box-supporting frame to be shifted forward from the position shown at 1 the lower part of Fig. 2 tothe position shown in the upper part of the same figure.

In order that the box lids may be automatically opened when the boxes are moved forward, I provide, for each box, an opening means in the form of a wire spring, which normally tends to open the lid, but is automatically engaged to close the lid when the boxes are pushed back into the stand. This spring includes a lip portion 31, having therein a small recess adapted for engagement with the bead 32 of the box-lid 33. From the bead portion 31, the wire of the spring extends rearwardly over the top of the box, and is bowed, at Sff, toward the rear of such box. In passing over the rear edge of the box top, the wire of the spring is coiled, as at 35, and then extends clownwardly, at 36, along the rear side of the box 21, and is coiled, at 37, around therear member 18 of the box-supporting frame. As has been said, the spring is so constructed as normally to open the lid of the box. When, however, the box-supporting frame and box are pushed back into the stand, the bowed portions 34: of the springs of the lower tier of boxes will come into engagement with the cross-shaft 24 for operating the upper tier, and will thereafter be forced down, to cause the lids of the boxes to be closed. A thin plate 38 is provided, between the upper tier of boxes, for engaging the springs of these boxes, and cause the closing of the lids of the upper tier.

The device described above provides a very strong and ornamental stand for supporting cake boxes or the like, and a stand which can be manufactured at a small cost. The operation of moving the slides forward, to permit access to the boxes, is extremely simple, and is far more easily performed than is the ease in the ordinary method of lifting down a box. Moreover, the aut0- matic lid-opening means makes necessary,

shaped abutment adjacent the front end thereof, a slotted lever pivoted with respect to said support, a box-supportingslide having a roller adjacent its rear end for engaging with said track, said roller being adapted to engage said abutment when said slide is moved forwardly, and a projection extending from said slide and entering the slot of said'lever, for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination with a box having a hinged lid, of a display stand for said box, said stand includinga support, a box supporting slide movable forwardly and rearwardly with respect to said support, a spring secured to said slide and detachably engaging the lid of said box, said spring normally tending to open said lid, and means associated with said spring when said slide is in its rearward position, to close the lid of said box.

3. A display stand. for boxes having hinged lids comprising a support, a track associated with said support, said track having hook-shaped stop abutments adjacent the front ends thereof, a box supporting slide, upwardly extending rigid supporting arms atthe forward corners of said' slide,

rollers adjacent the'rear end of said slide and engaging said track, said rollers being adapted to engage said abutments' when such slide is moved forwardly, and a spring member secured to the rear edge of said slide adapted to detachably engage the lid of the box to automatically open the same when said slide is moved to its forward position, and to close the same when said slide is moved rearwardly.

In testimony whereof, I, the said GEORGE M. JoHNsoN, have hereunto set my hand.

GEORGE M. JOHNSON.

Witnesses 2 JOHN F. WILL, 7 CHARLES G. Corn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the flommissioner of latents, Washington, a. c. a 

